Pink Gin
by MerriWyllow
Summary: Lisbon had not slept well while Jane was in Vegas. His return has not been restful either. For Rothelena, who inspired this. Spoilers for Season Five - based on released spoilers/promos. M for crude language. J/L.


"Get some sleep, Lisbon."

She did not respond.

She had not responded to any of his approaches, any of his overtures since they argued early in the afternoon about his piquant interrogation techniques. It was past two o'clock in the morning. Lisbon had buried herself in paperwork so deeply that even Cho's best puppydog eyes had not budged her hours ago when he, Van Pelt, and Rigsby headed out for a beer before parting ways for the night. A significant look had passed from Cho to Jane, and the "or else" implicit in the agent's face had caused the consultant to put significant effort into planning how best to look after her. Now Jane stood in her office, looming over the desk. The expression of concern on his face was lost on her.

"Don't ignore good advice because it comes from me. Please don't make yourself sick, Lisbon."

"You really aren't someone who can say 'get some rest' and expect me to take it seriously," she said.

Either Lisbon was worse at the silent treatment than she was at lying, or she had simply kept her mouth shut until she worked through all the crude language she wanted to use on him and now she was finally able to say something that would not trip her internal censor. "Maybe," he replied. "Maybe I'll report to LaRoche that you are endangering your team by working through sleep deprivation and general fatigue."

"Extortion. Nice."

"A little benevolent blackmail perhaps. You need rest," he said.

"You are not qualified to say what I need."

"Lisbon, don't. Don't harm yourself to spite me. Don't tell me I can't see what's as plain as the dark circles under your eyes. Don't freeze me out. Just don't."

"Freeze you out? It's too late for that Jane. Some things you just can't fix."

Burning anger filled his mind over her turning his words against him and showed in his eyes for a split second. "Lisbon. Get up from that chair and lie down on the couch. Now."

She made no move, said nothing in response. He stalked over to her chair, spun it around, and hauled her bodily up.

"No, Jane! Let go!"

"If you didn't need the rest so badly, I would not be able to do this. You are going to sleep for at least four hours if I have to hold you down the whole time. Then you are going to eat a proper breakfast and when you are strong enough to fight me off I will let you go. Then I will see to it you get ordered to go home and get some sleep in your own bed."

"Are you going to hold me down there, too?"

"I am hoping that a little rest will return your rationality but if you need me to, I will."

He had successfully wrestled them both onto the couch. He had her pinned, lying on her side between himself and the back of it. She was still struggling. He kept an iron grip around her waist. Then she started playing dirty, wiggling her ass against his groin. He countered that by shifting his arm lower, to hold her still against him.

"I am not a teenager, Teresa. We are not going to do this. If an orgasm is the only way you can relax enough to get some sleep, do it yourself."

She stilled but he could tell by her breathing and heart rate that she was even more furious. He hoped her anger would reach its climax quickly so she could get to the inevitable crash and sleep.

Spurred on by rage and shame at the sexual mental images his words conjured for her, she launched one final, all-out push back against him. He held on until she exhausted herself then said, "You don't want a cheap, angry fuck from me. And I for damned sure will not accept it from you. You are so much more than she is. You must know that."

"Get off me!" Muffled by the couch and distorted by rage, her voice came out as an animalistic growl. He had never heard a sound like that from her, and it made him wonder if her pride would allow her to forgive him for this later.

"You won't win this. Take a deep breath. No, I am not hypnotizing you. Just breathe."

She was suppressing the sob that would come out if she did relax her airways enough to take a deep breath. It felt like time ceased moving forward while she struggled for control of her breath and tears. "You won't ever let me win, will you? I'll always have to give in to you." She whispered to hide the unsteadiness of her voice. "I'm too lost."

"Shh, my dear. You need sleep. When you wake up, you'll feel better. If you still hate me then, at least you'll have the sense to take it out on me."

"Let me go, please. I won't get any rest like this. You have to stop touching me. It hurts too much. Please don't play with me anymore, Jane."

"This is no game. You aren't yourself, you're so exhausted. I promised to save you, and if that means saving you from yourself, that is what I will do."

"Then save me from feeling like this. Leave me alone. Stop touching me, stop reaching for me. Stop making me feel things for you."

His voice dropped low, "I'm sorry I keep hurting you." He hummed a short note of dissatisfaction then continued. "I could take you here on this couch. Then you really would hate me. You'd never want to speak to me again. It might make things easier for you in the end. But I'm not going to do that. Not with you. Not like this. I need you safe and well, so please let me help you sleep. I'll talk you through a progressive relaxation exercise if you like."

"No! No hypnosis." Her fear amplified her distress.

"No hypnosis, just breathing and releasing muscle tension. I'll just describe it. You can go through it on your own, and I'll stay quiet."

"Tell me," she said.

"You start at your feet. Inhale a deep breath through your nose into your belly, contracting a single muscle group. Exhale through your mouth, letting the air out slower than you drew it in, and relax the muscles. Work your way up one muscle group at a time - toes, feet, shins, calves, and so on, until you reach your scalp. If you are still awake, start at the top and work your way back down again."

He loosened his grip on her when he felt her begin to tense her muscles as he had instructed. He breathed with her, but did not speak anymore until after he felt her drop off into sleep. Then he whispered, "Love you. Remember that."

~The End~


End file.
